Well now, this
one was a curveball. I had completely and utterly assumed I was going to see an
action film of sorts. Very much my own fault, I have been working like a woman
possessed this last month, I freely admit that I am more than a little behind
when it comes to cinematic research. I’d had a bit of a week of it when I got
to watching this. I genuinely thought I was just going to see a well-acted
action film that would take my mind off things. Instead, I found a film that
made me think long and hard about very important stuff. Hey, it took my mind
off things. Just not in the way I expected.
Whip
Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is a pilot. One of the best there is. And he has
more than ample chance to prove it when he saves almost all the souls on board
using an almost impossible manoeuvre after a mechanical failure. The thing is
though; he completes this impossible manoeuvre when drunk. And under the
influence of cocaine. As you can imagine, this comes up pretty quickly in the
medical examination. Now there is a race against time as his union rep and
lawyer desperately try to quash the medical reports and keep Whip in line.
And Whip, a raging alcoholic, takes one heck of a lot of keeping in line. For
all his bravado however, Whip is guilt-stricken about the six people who died. This
event is, in fact, a very good chance for him to face up to his past, his
mistakes and his demons. Thing is, does he see it that way?
Ok, I love
this film for so many reasons. Not least because it paints a realistic portrait
of alcoholism and the destructive force it brings to the life of everyone
around it. I know alcoholics. I know the children of alcoholics. Believe me, I
am in a good position to judge these things.
In the
film, I especially love the scene where Whip is “fighting the minibar” as it
were. You’ll know what I mean if you watched the film. If not, you’ll know when
you see it. I’m also impressed with the way it seems to be connected to such a
random event – but so well connected. I NEVER expected a film about alcoholism
and facing your demons based on the wonderful, nail-biting opening action
sequence. But hey, this is Robert Zemeckis. Only the guy who directed Back to
the Future. No biggie. And who better to
portray it than veteran actor Denzel Washington? Every time I see him acting I
am even more convinced that he deserves every award he gets and more.
But I do
have a few problems with it. The ending. Spoiler alert people, look away now if
you don’t want to hear about the ending. I don’t usually do this, I know but I
passionately feel the ending is “wrong” so I MUST talk about it. What can I do,
I’m an Aries. Ok, this is Hollywood, obviously they have to show him kicking
the habit (of course they have to. This is not my problem), making peace with
himself and “killing” his demons. There is, of course, an estranged ex-wife and
a son he doesn’t talk to also in the picture. Now, like I said I know both
alcoholics and the children of alcoholics. I felt that Whip making “complete”
peace with his son was a little too much, too soon. Not that I’m saying that
would never happen. I would, however, be happier with an “open” ending. You
know. A tentative and slightly awkward meeting in the prison café for example.
Positive, but no big hugs and kisses. If I may say this, living with an alcoholic
means you get lied to by the person and hurt on a regular basis. And life
experience tells me complete trust takes time to grow, especially if the matter
has grown to the point that you haven’t spoken to your own father/son for
years. That kind of hurt doesn’t just go away like magic. Ok, supposedly Whip
has been sober for a year but I don’t know… It didn’t seem right to me. I mean
yes, classic Hollywood dictates that the family unit must be re-united by the
end. And to give it it’s due, this is a surprisingly modern family unit as Whip
has a new girlfriend (albeit a rather cheesy storyline of a fellow addict
(drugs) kicking the habit who he met in hospital. I know, I agree. But it’s
better than nothing) thus the family is, you know a “modern” family with
divorces and stuff. Like I said, I would have preferred a more tentative
reunion. Because in real life, there is a good chance the family unit does not
come back together again. In this film, this is not really even portrayed as a
possibility…
So
basically, Flight is a sensitive, though provoking film that portrays a lot of
original and exciting stuff interspersed with some very typical Hollywoodisms.
Oh well. With the sheer saturation of Hollywoodisms about these days, I’m just
as happy with a mixture.
Kayıtlar
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder